Poss will be honored Sept. 26 in Spokane at a ceremony hosted by the Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Advisory Board.

Poss was nominated for the Governor's Lifesaving Award by her husband, Bill Poss. The award is given to any Washington worker who has saved a life either on or off the job, said Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor and Industries.

"It's a pretty incredible story, really, that she held her hands over the wound until help arrived," Fischer said.

"The Bowman family is beyond grateful for (Poss') quick first-aid response on the day that their daughter was shot," said India Simmons, the family's spokeswoman. "Amina came too close to death that day. Thank you. Thank you."

Poss will be honored along with 20 other individuals who either saved a life or made heroic but unsuccessful lifesaving efforts within the past year. Although Gov. Chris Gregoire won't be there, as the name of the award suggests, the event is likely to receive considerable publicity regardless, considering that media statewide have closely followed Amina's story.

The girl, 8 at the time of the shooting, spent two months at Harborview Medical Center and underwent five surgeries. The bullet shattered her elbow and ripped through internal organs. She was hospitalized for nearly six weeks and released April 3.

The 9-year-old boy who owned the backpack pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and bringing a gun to school. He was sentenced to counseling and a yearlong supervision by the juvenile probation department.

The boy's mother, Jamie Lee Chaffin, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and faces 12 to 16 months in prison. The gun belonged to her boyfriend, Douglas Bauer, and was taken from their Allyn home. Chaffin, who has a felony record, was not allowed to be around firearms. She has agreed to testify against Bauer, who faces charges of third-degree assault for allegedly leaving the loaded .45-caliber pistol easily accessible to Chaffin's son. Bauer's case is being reviewed by the Washington State Court of Appeals.

Chaffin was released from the Kitsap County jail in July pending sentencing while the court considers the validity of the assault case against Bauer.

The boy is under the care of his uncle.

Bremerton School District officials had little to say about Poss' award due to a lawsuit John Bowman and Teri Jolene Bowman, Amina's parents, said they intend to file against the district. The Bowmans will seek at least $400,000 in medical costs and $10 million in general damages, their attorney said.

District spokeswoman Patty Glaser praised Poss and confirmed the district is paying her travel costs to attend the award ceremony, but Glaser said she could offer no details of Poss' actions on the day of the shooting.

"She's a fabulous teacher," Glaser said. "Anytime one of our teachers receives special recognition, we are very happy to hear about that."

Coincidentally, district Superintendent Flip Herndon was invited to speak on "emergency issues" at the Safety and Health Advisory Board's Conference where Poss will receive the award. The speaking invitation came toward the end of the 2012 school year and is unrelated to Poss' award, though likely related to the shooting, Glaser said.

While Poss herself declined any comment, her husband said he thought it was high time she received some recognition. Natalie Poss was traumatized for months by the shooting, he said.

According to Bill Poss, Natalie tutored Amina for the remainder of the school year. Summer has been a time for his wife to enjoy some down time away from school, he said. She is teaching a second-grade class at Armin Jahr this school year.

Amina's parents said during an Aug. 15 news conference that their daughter would attend a small private school this fall in the Bremerton area.

This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Douglas Bauer's name.